Africa Covid-19 Response and the Extractive SectorSpeakers List

Claude Kabemba is the Director of the Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW), a Pan-African organization of civil society advocates for transparent, accountable, equitable and people-centred extractive industries (minerals, oil, gas and logging).

He has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Kabemba’s main areas of research and advocacy interest include the political economy of Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on natural resources governance, democratization, election politics, regional integration, social policies and human rights.

Claude Kabemba, DirectorSouthern Africa Resource Watch (SARW)

Sulemanu Koney is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, following his promotion from the post of Director responsible for Analysis, Research and Finance. As Director, he managed the industry’s engagements with stakeholders in developing supply chain regimes, security and technical issues of the industry, and the Chamber’s Finance function.

Sulemanu is a founding member of the Steering Committee of Ghana’s Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (GHEITI). He served on the Board of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) of Ghana and is currently a member of the University of Mines and Technology Council. He had previously worked with Shell Ghana Limited.

Sulemanu Koney, Chief Executive Officer Ghana Chamber of Mines

Valérie Marcel is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House and project lead for the New Producers Group, a South-South knowledge-sharing network of 31 emerging oil and gas producing countries. She is an expert on national oil companies, petroleum-sector governance and emerging strategic issues shaping the energy sector. Valérie is the author of Oil Titans: National Oil Companies in the Middle East (Chatham House/Brookings, 2006). She advises governments in sub-Saharan Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, South America and the Caribbean on petroleum sector policy and governance. She is Deputy Chair of the Governing Board of REEEP (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnerships) and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s oil and gas strategy council.

Valérie Marcel Associate Fellow at Chatham House

Africa Covid-19 Response and the Extractive SectorSpeakers List

Umar Ajiya Isa is the Chief Financial Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He has held several managerial positions in major petroleum corporations, including Group General Manager, Corporate Planning & Strategy at Nigeria Natural Liquified Gas Limited.

Umar Ajiya IsaChief Financial Officer (CFO)Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

Antonio M.A. Pedro is a mineral exploration geologist with more than 30 years of experience. He is currently the Director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Sub-regional Office for Central Africa (SRO-CA) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

At UNECA’s Headquarters in Addis Ababa, he spearheaded the formulation of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), which was adopted by the African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government in February 2009.

Pedro is a member of the International Resources Panel (IRP), Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and Co-Chair of the Thematic Network on the Good Governance of Extractive and Land Resources.

Antonio PedroDirector, UNECA Sub-regional Office for Central Africa Yaoundé, Cameroon

Stephen Karangizi is the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the African Legal Support Facility. He has been with the ALSF since October 2011.

Before joining the ALSF, he was Deputy Secretary-General (Programs) of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) from 2008 to 2011.

His major achievements include participating in the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union.

Stephen KarangiziDirector and CEO, African Legal Support Facility (ALSF)— Moderator

Africa Covid-19 Response and the Extractive SectorSpeakers List

Ben Aryee is currently the advisor to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in Ghana. He was the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission from 2001 to 2014. He is also the author of the book: A Historical Overview Of Ghana’s Mining Sector Fiscal Regimes, published in 2018.

Ben AryeeAdvisor to the Hon. MinisterMinistry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana

James M. Nganga is the Acting Secretary Petroleum at the State Department for Petroleum, Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, Kenya.

He has worked in the Government of Kenya both in the energy and petroleum sectors for over 30 years in various capacities. He has provided professional knowledge, technical expertise on geothermal exploration, coal, and petroleum exploration.

Currently, he is in charge of the coordination of policy, legal and regulatory framework formulation for oil and gas; monitoring of upstream, midstream and downstream petroleum operations; and ensuring the availability of strategic reserves and security of supply of petroleum products.

James NgangaActing Secretary and Head Petroleum Directorate, Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, Kenya

Eva Jhala is an accomplished lawyer, currently managing a large law firm in Zambia. She has extensive experience in private practice and government, where she was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice in Zambia.

Eva JhalaMember, Management Board, ALSF

Africa Covid-19 Response and the Extractive SectorSpeakers List

Advocate Thabo Mokoena is the Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). He is a member of the Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD), and serves as co-chairperson of the Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development Cluster of Government.

He is the accounting officer of one of the most critical portfolios of government, which plays a key role in supporting the realisation of the country’s broader socio-economic objectives. He has oversight responsibility for eighteen (18) state-owned entities and their subsidiaries, in the DMRE portfolio, which are responsible for the mining and energy value chains. He is also a member and chairperson of the Joint Implementation Committee (JIC), a Committe mandated to oversee governance matters relating to the Independent Power Producers Office.

Thabo Mokoena, Director-GeneralDepartment of Mineral Resources and Energy, South Africa

Santiago J. Dondo has decades of experience in the Latin American mining sector and has worked as a legal and public policy expert, supporting both companies and governments in shaping investments. Dondo also serves as Undersecretary of Mining Policy and long-term advisor to the Government of Argentina to help develop its resource sector. As EITI regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, he used his knowledge and experiences to implement the initiative in the region. As a consultant, Dondo has worked for various bilateral and multilateral donor organizations, including the IDB and the World Bank. Currently, Dondo supports the CONNEX Support Unit, a global service provider in contract negotiation assistance, to develop its client base in Latin America, and contributes to the successful implementation of the CONNEX advisory services – particularly in COVID-19 times.

Santiago DondoSenior Expert, Mining and Public Policies